Dave Richards: St. Pat's Day will be cold but happy

March 15, 2013 12:01 AM

March 15, 2013 12:01 AM

Erie Times-News features writer Dave Richards.ERIE TIMES-NEWS

Remember how the planets aligned in 2012 for St. Patrick's Day?

The temperature hit 72 degrees and the sky was beautiful blue, not gray and ominous and blizzard threatening. People wore shorts, kilts and tank tops; they needed sunglasses, not earmuffs and mink coats.

And all this happened on a Saturday, so thousand of Irish folks and wannabes descended downtown for the parade, then disseminated into assorted establishments for jigs, reels, beads, brews, whiskey and arm-in-arm singalongs to "Danny Boy."

The planetary alignment was so complete even Mars participated, becoming the green planet instead of red.

Fat chance of this ever happening again. The last forecast that I saw for Sunday, St. Patrick's Day, predicted a teeth-chattering, mind-and-body numbing, clover-crunching high of 31 degrees.

The only saving grace: just a 10 percent chance of precipitation (i.e. snow) hangs over us.

For some, the forecast doesn't matter. They would go out for St. Patrick's Day if it rained frogs and the temperature hit absolute zero. They are the ones who line up for 7 a.m. breakfasts with green eggs and ham and toast, lots of toasts.

I'm not one of those. I'm not Irish, so I always felt a bit strange crashing their party, even though millions don't give it a second thought. Although "everyone's Irish for the day" seems to be the operating mantra, I feel a wee uncomfortable.

In 2012, however, the Year of the St. Patrick's Day Planetary Alignment, I decided to join the green fray for a day.

Passing it up would have felt like a sin. I knew, too, no work awaited the following day. I could afford to be hung over.

And I must admit when the day was all over -- after I got bailed out, found my clothes, repaired my broken glasses, ordered a new iPhone to replace the one at the bottom of Presque Isle Bay, and completed my community service -- that I had fun.

OK, I'm exaggerating. I didn't hang out with the Wolf Pack from "The Hangover." But I had a bead-gathering, barhopping blast, especially catching Irish-pumping groups such as the Mulligans and Ischabaha.

Everyone became a new friend along the way. Meeting other people was half the fun; the other half was watching people make idiots of themselves.

So the big question: Should I paint the town green again, though St. Pat's falls on Sunday?

Or should I take the easy way out and just party on Saturday -- catch the parade, Paddy Whacked, Blarney Rubble, the Mulligans, and more?